Rob in Toronto

We had a short length of foundation wall repaired last month and the Dilullo guys did a great job. The wall had freeze-thaw damage (being 100+ years old) and was letting in bit of moisture. John's crew stuck to their cost estimate and finished on time - what more could you want. The work involved repairing a part of the foundation, pouring a wall to cap the deteriorated area, and waterproofing. They also sealed some small crack with a rubber compound. John gave a courtesy call after a storm to check in on the work - nice follow-up from a fellow who really care about his work.

DrainWorks arrived promptly when my floor drains were backing up. I suspected the City tree roots but the City crew would not do work until they had gas/utility locates done (wait several hours). DrainWorks snaked out the City of Toronto tree roots, and I will get reimbursed by the City (nice!). If you have a chronic root problem, ask the City to reline your lateral to keep out roots to avoid this maintenance and worry.

Ron provided the clearest advice out of 3 other quotes (and a long term plan to manage the decaying tree) - and he also had the best price. He even gave good advice on other trees on neighbours' lots for future consideration. We're very happy with the value. Good clean-up after too!

We have a low slope roof prone to ice dams causing internal leaks. I decided to have the whole front roof rebuilt so we could insulate below (to prevent melting) and then be covered in ice an water shield. When the roof was off one roofer slipped on the roof frame and boots blasted through our plaster dining room ceiling - luckily no one was at the dining table at the time. They asked if I wanted a skylight - funny. The hardwood floor was only slightly damaged from debris. They attempted to repair the ceiling but left a big unsightly dip in the surface. They tried twice but could not match the swirl pattern that extends on the whole ceiling so they agreed to a discount on the roof work. I'll need to replaster the whole thing. I checked the roof and they ice shielded only 2/3 of the roof (only used tar paper) and had to remove shingles and redo it partly. The supervisor blamed the crew (they didn't tell him they ran out of material).

We had a yellow tub from the early 70's that needed to be fixed. I already replaced the yellow toilet and sink myself. Re-enamelling the tub it myself would not be healthy with those fumes inside (no window to vent) so we called Bathfitter. They deliver just as they say - they measure the tub shape and shower area and its installed in one day. The only downside is you have to be careful with things that colour the plastic tub insert and you need to use milder cleaning solutions (nothing abrasive any more). I am glad we covered the 3 walls too since it was impossible to keep the old grout clean and now the walls are single smooth sheets - built in shelves on the walls are also easier to clean and more sturdy than the old stick-on or spring loaded pole shelf units we had before.

To take advantage of the federal and provincial eco rebates we replaced our 20 year old boiler (we have radiator heating in the house) with a super high efficiency boiler (Slant/Fin Bobcat). McKinnon explained we could not replace with the same technology (and lower price) unless the area was renovated/drywalled in to seal it off. High efficiency did not require that reno but required two new air pipes (in and out) to the outside. McKinnon explained the options very well to us on the phone. They replaced the furnace in 1 day and had minimal disturbance to the finished basement ceiling when they vented the new air pipes through joists to the outside. A small hole they did make was covered with a vent. The only problem was they left the old surge tank in my joists above the new boiler and the new piping makes it impossible to remove. I wish my spouse kept an eye on them when they did the work and said they were done since now I am stuck with the old surge tank.

We have the plumbing service with Direct Energy (who we rent the water heater from too). Our sewer line was sluggish (toilet in basement not draining) and we leaks around the flange if flushed several times in a row. We called direct energy who removed the toilet and snaked the drain, removing roots the house (where I didn't think we could even have them). The plumbers camera/scope battery died and they couldn't verify the clean out was complete. The plumber cursed a lot to himself. We waited weeks before they came back and to check, and had to remind them twice. Toilet was off during that time - not convenient. I rebuilt the flange myself with alternating rubber seals and plastic spacers to make it water tight and reinstalled the toilet. They removed it to check the roots were clear.

We just had spot tuckpointing done and two milkboxes bricked-in and are expremely pleased with the results. John went above and beyond the call, looking to match the unique 'combed' texture and brick colour at several yards. In the end the best colour match brick was too thick ...so they cut 1/4 inch off the height of each one! Wow. Dilullo provides great value and service. A unique combination.